چكيده لاتين :
Sustainability Issues Awareness: A Case Study in Dammam University
Mohammed Alhefnawy
Associate Professor, College of Architecture & Planning, Dammam University
(Received 14/5/1433H.; accepted for publication 2/7/1434H.)
Keywords: ; ; Abstract. The study was designed to gather basic information about sustainability awareness in the spatial domain
of the College of Architecture & Planning, Dammam University. It is conducted, by the author, through a survey
questionnaire to investigate the perception and application of sustainability principles and measures as an approach
for achieving sustainability in the educational domain. It was a questionnaire for determining the limit of simple
sustainability issues application in the scope of work of the institution of respondents and in their daily life. The
questionnaire was sent by e-mails and the responses were collected through e-mails as well. The data provide an
investigative look at the views of the respondents in respect to sustainability benefits and major environmental
problems.
The results of the study show that the respondents have high standard of knowledge of sustainability, as 94% of
the participants heard about it, and 74% try to spread the knowledge of sustainability by talking to family and
friends. The respondents show good knowledge of environmental problems, as 79% recognize the threats of global
warming, and 60% understand many parts of the Arab world are threatened by the rise of the sea water level.
Furthermore, 64% of the respondents consider pollution the most serious problem, while 25% consider the scarcity
of water is more serious.
The study gives a critical indication that the application of simple sustainability measures in the respondents’ field
of work has very limited importance.
The respondents show very good attention to recycling and good concern about water and energy savings. The
figures reflect the fact that water is much more important to the participants. While electricity saving comes in the
second place as the government gives incentives to the price of electricity and the oil used for energy production,
therefore the respondents do not feel the problem of energy as serious as water scarcity problem.
